Material processing applications, such as plasma deposition and sputtering through the utilization of the plasmas, are well known. These processes require power delivery systems. The power delivery system generally provides a radio frequency (RF) or high direct voltage direct current (DC) power signal coupled to a plasma chamber. In such an application, inconsistency or failure of a power supply during a material processing session can cause the entire loss of the material in process. Such a loss can be expensive and highly undesirable.
No power delivery system for semiconductor processing applications presently monitors operating parameters of the power delivery system in order to predict maintenance requirements and to avoid power delivery system failure. The lack of any on-the-fly monitoring system for predicting maintenance and failures makes it necessary to merely schedule maintenance of the power delivery system in order to prevent such mid-session power delivery system inconsistencies or failure. Accordingly, necessary maintenance may not occur in a timely manner, resulting inconsistent operation or failure of the power delivery system.
Present power delivery systems also do not provide any way for the manufacturer, distributor, or plant or customer to monitor operation of the power delivery system or to build a historical database of power supply information at a location remote from the power delivery system location. Remote monitoring and building a historical database of power delivery system information provides valuable data for scheduling required maintenance of the remote power delivery system. Remote monitoring and building a database may also enable data analysis applicable to similarly installed power delivery systems, and assist in designing future power delivery systems.
Because no present power delivery system enables remote monitoring, analysis, and data collection, power delivery systems require technicians to travel to the installation to do on-site service. Alternatively, customers often return a failed power delivery system to the manufacturer service. Having trained technicians perform on-site service can be costly to the customer. On the other hand, because the operation of power delivery systems greatly depends upon the environment, removing and returning a power delivery system for service often results in the power delivery system passing all the tests performed at the service center. Further, no on-site operating data usually accompanies the returned power delivery system.
Monitoring power delivery system performance using a host controller proves inadequate because of speed limitations of the host controller. Thus, critical information for analysis often must be obtained directly from the power delivery system independently from the host controller. Present power delivery systems also do not allow for remotely configuring a power delivery system for diagnostic tests. This requires that either a technician travel to the power delivery system site or that the service center step the manufacturer through configuring the unit for diagnostic test. Because such a configuration process can be both difficult and time consuming, the customer may commit errors during configuration, rendering the test of limited value. Because these difficulties often necessitate a qualified technician to travel to the power delivery system site, response times for servicing problem units requires additional downtime of the material processing system.
Because many material processing applications are considered highly secret by the material processors, material processors are reluctant to transmit information to remote sites, even the manufacturer, in order to protect critical process information. On the other hand, if a service technician must travel to the power delivery system site in order to set up and oversee an appropriate data logging/analysis system, this increases the cost and further slows the repair process.
Thus, it is desirable to provide a system for monitoring a power delivery system and a system for remotely monitoring a power delivery system.